Dave's Open Mic: Ep 2 - The Ron Foley Foundation

That's good. So that's good. You're
you're resilient.

I'm resilient. We're resilient. Right.

So yeah,
you learned a valuable lesson then.

And then my neighbor
in the following year, he's up on a tree.

He's like 20ft high
and he's with a sore channel remember.

And I told him my story
and he looked at me like.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Not going to happen to me.

Yeah. Okay.

Yeah. And didn't thank God.

But hopefully did a meal train
for him. Right.

And yeah, yeah.

Dropped off that lasagna and said yeah.

Remember what I told you, right?

Yeah. No, it was, you had that hurt.

Oh. Got it hurt.

Yeah.

No, I mean, I think going up on ladders
is not something I,

you know, cleaning my own gutters,
those type of thing is sort of

like the risk reward on

it has gotten to the point where I'm like,
you know what, I want to outsource.

I do my own landscaping.

I do a lot of things around the house.

I don't outsource everything, but
they're allowed getting up on a ladder.

I've got a got a high roof.

I came home for the hospital.

Both apple trees were gone.

My wife had someone come in and calm down.

He's like, you know what, I'm going
to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, so yeah. So anyway, so,

they call you Hinkle?

They do? Yeah. Yeah. So what?

Tell me a little about yourself.

How are you involved in the, Ron
Foley Foundation?

Run for the roses? Yeah.

So I've actually,
I've been part of it since the beginning.

So, I'm actually married to Kate.

Kate is Barbara's daughter.

Only daughter?

We got married in 2007,
so the first Ron's run was 2005.

I believe, if my memory serves me correct.

And the first, Ron's Ron, was, Kentucky
Derby event in Barbara's backyard.

You know, it was small.

A lot of family, you know, few friends.

And, you know, it's grown.

It's obviously considerably since then.

Yeah, we've been through several venues,
up until now, but it's been

it's been a very rewarding,

activity to be part of.

Right. And not because
I've been a huge driver. Right?

I mean, Barbara has been the
the beating heart of this organization

since the beginning, but it's been fun
to play a variety of roles over the years.

Mostly labor, you know, I,
you know, a lot of carrying things.

Hauling things, you know,
running out in the truck last minute,

you know, building things at night, doing
PowerPoints, whatever,

whatever the job called for.

You know, we all rallied around Barbara
to, to help grow this,

you know, Ron was an important person
in all of our lives.

And, you know, that's always,

you know, that's always kind of been
the focus, right?

Is is, you know, his memory
and then translating his memory into how

we can help others that have, you know,
gone through similar circumstances.

So, you know, it's been a fun journey
thus far.

Yeah. Barb's a sweetheart.

I've known her for a little while,
and it's amazing to see this event.

Yeah. How it's grown.

Yeah.

Now, I wasn't I didn't know her
when it was in her backyard, but,

there's another place up the road
where it was, and.

And they came here,
and this is just. Absolutely. Yeah.

I've seen Simsbury volley Farm.

Yeah. That's right.
Yeah, yeah. Or Folly Farm.

Folly farm.

Yeah. Yeah.

So you knew, Ron, I did okay. Yeah.

So I actually had the privilege

of knowing Ron
for trying to think exact dates here.

But probably 2 or 3 years,
prior to diagnosis.

So then ultimately,
you know, his passing away in 2005, and,

you know, given that, you know, history

transpired the way that it did, and Kate
and I got married and I became part

of the family, having that connection
has been incredible, right?

Because, you know, he still is,
is a beacon and a lot of great memories

that, you know, that we,
we still share together.

And so knowing him and having

that personal relationship
is, has been meaningful for me.

And what what a tribute.

I mean, Barb does not just every year,
that this time, but all year,

all year out.

I it's not only helping other people
that are,

you know,
and it's not just pancreatic cancer too.

I think it's just awareness of cancer,
period.

Absolutely. And everybody's suffering.
And and she does that all year round.

And she's,
I mean, you wouldn't even think that she

runs an organization like this.

She's just you would never. But she's.
Because she's amazing.

Yeah.

And she's always
she's always thinking about it.

Always noodling.

No matter where she is,
she'll see something, whether it's,

you know, you know,
whether it's, you know, decor, right?

For the setting or maybe it's,
you know, an auction item.

She's always she's always noodle,
and it's always top of mind.

You know, in a lot of ways, it's
sort of become part of who she is

and her identity.
And I think that's that's really cool.

What was what was Ron like?

I don't know too much. I've never met him.

I've heard a couple of stories here
and there, but I don't really know.

How did you know?
What's your memory. Of. Yeah.

So my my memory of Ron, you know, big
you know, he is very quiet guy.

But if you were in his inner
circle, right.

He was he was big personality.

You know, he's very devoted
to his family, you know, love to fish.

Love to have a good time.

Love to joke around.

You know, he was, you know, he was
he was a driving force in a lot of the,

the social events in, in their family and,
you know, very successful

businessman as well.

And so,

you know, there was definitely, you know,
part of our relationship, which was,

you know, me asking questions.

I was starting my career. Right.

And I think at that at the time
when he and I first met,

I actually didn't have a job right here
I am dating his daughter.

No job that went over well, and.
Yeah, exactly.

But, you know, I was grinding it out

and, he, he had said to me,

you know, he,

he gave me some ultimatum of, hey,
if you don't have a job in 90 days, right,

this, this relationship
and I can go any further.

He always like to say that I pulled it out
on, you know, whatever

it was, the,
you know, the 49th day, right in 50 was.

That was the mark. So, but he,

like I said,

I, I still recite things that he told me
about about business.

And, you know, he was,

he was different
because he was, from a different era

where they, you know, he showed up
at travelers at a college and,

you know, started, you know, the mailroom
or wherever in a while

worked his way up
to to CFO, of the company, and,

you know, took the company through,
you know, some, some big acquisitions,

and ultimately was at the helm when,
they became part of Citigroup.

So he had, you know, some pretty,

pretty interesting stories,
you know, with some of the,

the big moguls of that day,
you know, Sandy, while and Jamie Diamond

and these names that, you know,
anybody would know, but very humble.

Never forgot his roots where he came from,
which was Whalen, Massachusetts.

And, yeah, just a sweetheart of a guy.

So he was still working when, you know,
where was your title?

He was retired.

He was retired.

But, you know, given that I was trying to

trying to kind of chart
my path and my career, you know,

it was something that I was constantly
trying to kind of pepper people with.

Hey, what about this?

What do you think about this company
and those types of things?

And, you know,
he was impressed with my first job

was at Lehman Brothers,
which was, an investment bank.

And, you know, he was
he thought that was pretty cool.

But, you know,
the one thing that he didn't see in

his lifetime was that the company
actually went bankrupt in 2008.

Yeah. And I remember that.

During the financial crisis.

So, yeah.

No, he was, he was a great guy.

And, you know, I think this event is a
is a wonderful way to carry the memory on.

Can you give me an example?
I'm going to put you on the spot. Sure.

Give me an example of,
something that he talked to you

about in the conversation you had,

or something like that
that sort of sticks with you mentioned

said you still think about things
he's told you.

There's anything that you think. Yeah,
I mean, the share.

I mean, the one of them was, you know, he
he said to me, right.

Because he, he ran the books, right?
He was he was an accountant by trade.

Yeah. He said he said Hinkle.

He goes no company
can justify having a plane.

He's like, I don't care who they are,
how big of a company it is.

He's like the line item expense.

He's like,
you just can't justify it, you know?

And I always sort of
think about that when you think about,

you know, some of these companies
and you know, whether they're, you know,

they've got some fat that you can trim
and things like that.

And, you know, listen, you know,
you got to move your executives around.

But I always remember him saying that.

And the other one is, is, you know,
we were at Lake

Winnipesaukee,
you know, probably his last summer.

Okay.

You know, one of his,
his wish on his wish list

was to rent a big house
on Lake Winnipesaukee.

It was a place that, he had gone to for,
you know, substantial

part of his childhood growing up and
and with the family during the early days.

So we rented a big house there and,

and I was cooking steaks one night, and,

you know, Kate's brothers
were there one night, and they,

you know, I forget how I cooked it,
I sliced it, I put the garlic inside,

I cooked it, and Ron was like,
out of this world, off the charts, right?

And he's like, you know, he's like,

I'm not going to take credit
for telling you that.

You know, I gave you the recipe for that.

But he's like, you know, my sons,
they could never do this kind of work.

And so it led to, this joke that we have
going on about getting heckled.

Right?

Whereas her brothers always say,
you know, just when you think

you've done something, well, you know,
Angel shows up and you get heckled, right?

And he does it ten times better than you
and that steak. Love it.

That steak story always sticks in my head
because,

her brother Mark was there
and he always brings that one up.

So those are two stories
that I would say stop my head.

Sounds like once you're in that circle,
I mean, he's your part of the family.

There's no they're not. Yeah.

I mean, absolutely 100%.

Absolutely.
That's a wonderful trait to have.

Yeah.

Someone has that, it's Hinkle,
so tell me about that.

How did that do you

do you remember the story that you said
your mom gave you that nickname?

Oh, it was my mom.

It was actually, So I went to, I went to
boarding school in New Hampshire,

a place called Holderness.

And, you know, it's,

you know, it's

nine through 12,
so a bunch of bunch of boys

sitting around a dorm, you know, you know,
and it you can imagine what happens.

But, my brother was there.

He was a
he was a junior when I was a freshman.

And and he actually got
the nickname first, and it was there.

I wish there was a better story, but
it was like, hey, what's your last name?

Hinman.

Hinkle.

And everybody laughed, and he was Hinkle.

So when I showed up,
it was big Hinkle and little Hinkle.

He graduated.

I dropped the little,
so I was just Hinkle.

But then it.

I went to college
with a couple buddies from

prep school,
and they followed me and so did the name.

And then that's
I met my wife Kate, at, at college.

And so then she knew me as Hinkle
from the beginning.

And it's just followed me to the point
where

my own kids actually will call me Hinkle.

And I say to him, sometimes I'm like you,
there's only two people in this world

that can call me dad, and that's you guys,
and you choose to call me Hinkle

at the time.

So, you know, I and I think throughout
most of my life I've,

I've always had nicknames.

I guess I'm just not a Chris. Right. So.
Yeah.

Buffett.

Yeah. It works.
You know, it could be worse, right?

I know that, some of the nicknames
we gave people growing up

where were much worse. So.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then all that.

Some of them, though less, you know,
they go through maybe college

and after that you get professional
or whatever.

Yeah.

But, so what it were they call
you can't go work.

No, not at work.

The one that that I can't
escape from work is, is chin men

because,
you know, a lot of email address is right.

Is first initial right.

Chris C last name Hinman.

So it's always chicken men at whatever.

So then there's a bunch of derivatives
that come off of that.

But that's been one
that has been hard to catch as well.

That's a good one.
Yeah. It's not that nice.

So what are you think
this year's event so far?

I mean, I know you just got here.

It seems like it's, it's.

I mean, they come in, there's
photographers,

there's people getting there.
What do you call them?

Those mint juleps? Yeah. Mint juleps.

Yeah, yeah.

No, I listen, I think this event,
seems to up its game every year.

Yeah. I think that

coming

to the Polo Grounds was a big milestone,
at least for all of us

legacy veterans, because,
it was the point in which we sort of

went from the laborers
to like, showing up as guests.

Right?

Because at that, at this point,
and I'm going to get it wrong.

But maybe it's where ten years in, by
the time we moved here, and at that point

we had much more of a well-oiled machine
where there was less of that last minute,

you know, run into Home

Depot or run into the nursery
or we forgot this at the house.

Right.

And, you know,
we've got professional vendors and,

and so I've loved having it here.

And each year
they found ways to make it better.

And I think that having the inside here

and not having to worry about the weather
takes a lot of stress off of the event.

And also the just,
the setup and cleanup.

Yeah. You know, this is an event hall.

This is what they're used to doing here.

And so, people love it, right?

And it's, it's a beautiful spot.

It's still got the horse theme,
which I think is great.

Yeah.

And, yeah, in this time of year
in Connecticut, you can't beat it.

All right. Sweaters.

I mean, a little windy, but I'll take it.

Yeah, it's warm.

But it's, you know, it's it's green.

You've got flowers, right?

I mean, it's, this is the time of year

where at least if you're from New England,
you start to remember why you live here.

Because. Right, right. You know, you're
absolutely right, Yeah, yeah.

Because you question it like, you know,
beginning of February, mid February.

Like why?

Yeah. You're like,
I can live anywhere, right?

But now you're like, okay, that is why.

Yeah. Yeah. And it's the people right?

I mean I think well I, I guess I,
you know, if you're from New England,

if there's a certain type of person
that's here,

you know, and, you know,
in terms of this, of add to I think that,

you know, the folks
that attend have have grown over time.

I think that, you know,
we've been able to,

you know, attract different
groups of people right before it was,

you know, you were 1 or 2 degrees
of separation from the family.

But I think now, you know, we get,
you know, we get folks that,

you know, that are, you know,
may have seen the event somewhere or,

you know, they're a friend of a friend.

So I think we've really,
you know, shown that,

you know, that we've got some scale
now when you actually don't know everybody

that's here, but
and you get to meet everybody

that is here,
you know, has some connection to,

pancreatic cancer and, you know, shows up
and is, is happy to be here.

And, you know, I think is, you know,
typically a, a great person.

There's not anybody that I've met here
that, you know,

I think, you know, falls outside that,
that realm.

Cool. Yeah. Awesome.

And I'm going to wrap it up. I'm call
you handle your own. Wrap it up, man.

Thank you so much.

I feel like I appreciate it.

I feel like. We've gotten to that point
where where he could do that.

Yeah, that was good. Good stuff.
Thanks so much for coming.

Enjoy the event. Have a great time. Yeah.

And, I'll be in there later.
Maybe I'll bump in you. Yeah, yeah.

All right, all right. You so much.
We'll see you I appreciate it. Thanks.

And that's it.

That's official. Now.

Now we can start.
That's what that's all about.

We didn't start a. Yeah, yeah. No, no.

So, so thank you so much

for stopping by at our little table here
outside the Ron Foley Foundation.

Ron's run for the roses.

Why don't you, go ahead.
So I don't miss it.

I want to go ahead
and introduce self for us.

Tell me what you.
Well, I'm just going to do it.

That's Kate, and this is Jack.

Jack, you are Ron's cousin?
That's correct.

You guys are from Philly, and you are
one of Barbara's closest, dearest friends.

I hope so, yeah. Yeah.

So how did how did you always start there?

How did you all meet?
How did you two meet?

How did we meet? Yes.

I was a client of hers.

Oh. Get out. Okay. Yeah,
a lot of years ago.

Okay. Here we are today. Oh. That's cool.

It's very, very good.

Jack introduced me to his family,
and we became fast

friends with Ron and Barbara
as a couple. Right.

And, the rest is kind of history
all these years later.

Oh. That's terrific.
Oh, I love that. Yeah.

I just had Hinkle as just I didn't know
I asked him and he says, my name is Chris.

I said, I'm supposed to have Hinkle.

He says, no, that's me. I said, okay.

She's he's wonderful.

He's a great guys.
We had a really fun conversation.

We're all the in-laws people.

Yeah, yeah,
yeah. No. It's fun. Barbara's wonderful.

I've known her for a while
and this is such a great lady time.

Yeah.

So the one thing I don't have.

And, And Chris or Hinkle didn't,
you know,

didn't know Ron
all that long before I passed.

So I was trying to get it because I don't.

I've never met Ron.

I only met Barbara. Maybe.
I don't think I.

I don't even think
it's been ten years. Sure.

So you're Ron's cousin.

So can you tell us a little bit about

how he was you guys grow?

I don't know how much time you spent
together.

Probably family functions
and things like that.

You can tell us about that.

Well, we had a lot of fun together.

Ron had a beautiful 61 Viking
that we took up and down the coast,

but we added over it,
and Bermuda, went running.

I didn't go to Bermuda.

We flew to Bermuda
and then went fishing in Bermuda.

And then we had such a great time
caught up

a really large,

smuggling,
that that was almost as big as the boat.

I know it was a he came for a while.

The thing was huge.

So let it go.

There's no way we'd get it in the boat.

Yeah, yeah,
I think a boat. Yeah. That's a memory.

But you grew up with Ron literally
across the street from each other.

Oh. Get out. Okay. Now,
when there were no.

Yeah. Up in the bust outside Boston.

In Watertown.

Watertown? Outside of. Boston. Okay. Yeah.

Yeah. I'm not familiar with.

Yeah, it's right next to Cambridge.
Okay. Okay.

Perfect. All right. Very nice.

Yeah. Okay.

But I moved out of that area,
when I was young.

Basically grew up in South Jersey.

My businesses were in the city. Kate was.

Or public relations for person
that handled all of our.

I own McDonald's restaurants.

Oh, cool.

But so where Kate handled all the public
relations for us in in our region.

So okay. So Rahm was a bigger than life
character, though.

He had a heart
the size of the state of Connecticut

and was such a warm and caring person
about so many people.

And he was overly generous.

I mean, he was just that guy
that just wanted everybody

to have a good time, feel good,
and he wanted you to feel like

today's a good day
and I'm going to help make that happen.

And he was that person
all the time. Well.

All I hear is, is that story.

Yeah. He's real. It was really wonderful.

And his, his favorite,
saying was go big or go home.

I love it just all.

And he lived it.

He didn't live that way.

He did live in it. Yeah. And live it.

He, was particularly good
with young people.

He loved all the young guys.

Like his is his own children, of course,
but his own children's friends.

And watching that and the dynamic with
them was always really pretty special.

And Barbara to that together
they would be like

everybody's
parents in addition to their own parents.

Yeah. So there's the entertainment house.

Oh, okay. Yeah.

That's excellent.

Yeah. A lot of fun all the time. Right.

And yeah, we had a ball bringing joy
to other people and and.

The second. Home that people. Okay.

Well yeah.

So were you at
I'm assuming you were at the first.

We were, event at Barbara's in Barbara's
backyard.

The first event in her backyard.

And she just had this idea,
and she said, I'm going to start this.

And then she gathered a bunch of friends
and neighbors,

and, they all just volunteered.

And together, they worked
super hard to help her figure this out.

And they've watched it
grow. And evolve over all the years.

It's been already spectacular,
the amount of development that's happened.

And now that they're this thriving
nonprofit.

It's it's incredible.
We've never missed one.

Yeah.

Did she start it with the notion
involved of of it create a nonprofit

or she just want to have an event
for Ron's memory?

Sort of. What was the,

It was
to raise money for pancreatic cancer.

It was okay for sure. Yeah. For sure.

And it just started as an event
to raise money and exact.

So the so the event started first
and then the Ron Foley Foundation

sort of followed.

Is that exactly okay?

Yeah,
I think that originally I'm not sure,

but I think the original idea
was to raise money for research.

And then as it started to come together
very quickly,

they started to understand
what families really needed

because they had been through it
themselves.

And so there's sort of

the two pieces of this,
the part that is really for research.

And then there's the the funds

that they, distribute to families
in need to do Von's Rescue.

And I think both
both are really important.

And I think the fact that they're balanced
in their own visual and understanding

of how pancreatic cancer really hits
families, is really important.

And, I'm pretty proud of the fact
that they were able to think about that.

And,

really focus on individual needs.

So many organizations
really and focus on research.

And this part I think
is really an important piece of it, too.

So amazing.

The growth so did they did was the

was the
the funds that was initially raised,

was that for research
or was that for to give to families.

Do you remember I.

Think I'm not I'm actually not sure.

But I think it was originally
for research. Right.

And because there was already
an established pancreatic,

cancer foundation
or group, several of them.

And I think Barbara
then started to get in touch

with the hospitals
and started working with doctors.

The outreach in the communication
that she's had with really world renown

specialists has been pretty extraordinary.

So she
she has learned so much about the disease

by how it impacts families,
that she just keeps

building the foundation to be supportive
of where the greatest needs are.

Yeah, yeah, because you
think about research, which is important.

But I think that the families
have needs, right.

Whether

whatever those needs are mostly financial,
whether it be just living expenses

or maybe medical expenses,
is there a separate fund

for medical or living, or is it just
how do people go about requesting it?

How does that all work?

I think there's an application.

I think they can turn it really fast
within a week or two weeks.

Oh, well.

And,
they just need to have some information

from the patient's doctor
and they file it.

And then as soon as they review it
and they know that it's all,

you know, in good order of the paperwork,
they get a check off to them

and it just adds

sometimes it's for a special last wish
or a trip with a family member.

Oh, well, sometimes it's for immediate
needs at the home to help carry expenses.

So it just depends on
the individual person and what they need.

Do you know how much that kind of money
the the foundation has distributed?

I asked for their number.
Okay. Just wanted to.

I should have looked at. My, Yeah, yeah.
So look at your notes.

Yeah.
I didn't make any. No, no, that's fine.

That's all right.

I think that's really important.

Yeah.

I, I put together a couple of videos

for this event, and some of the people on
there were just so grateful that,

you know,
they have this disease and they need it.

And they reached out and, and, Ron, for
the foundation was able to help them out

financially, get through some tough times.

And that's that's amazing. Yeah.

I think that's really, really good
I love it.

How's the event so far?
And I just got here.

But how is the house as shaping up
to be one of the best ones yet?

I bet it it's always great.

It is. I've never been the bad one.

Yeah, I actually I like this facility
much better, than than it was before.

Which was also still a good facility.

But this one just plays easy.

Yeah. It's easy to move around here. Yeah.

Even with the wind blowing.

With the wind blown blow. Windy.

But then you got. Yeah.

Because you had this here outside
now in studio.

Yeah. We basically. Yeah. Boats.

Yeah. That's wonderful.

That's really, really good.

The volunteer group
that keeps putting this together

every year there's a very small paid staff
by the volunteer group

that helps make all this come together
is pretty exceptional.

And the fact that so many of these people
then with this in the very beginning,

the surprise and to see that longevity,

commitment from the volunteers
is pretty special, I think.

So that just is a tribute,
I think, to what this has become

and also to Barbara and her leadership.
Yeah.

So yeah, and she's genuinely
thankful and appreciative

and just humbled by every
I just it's really she's.

An amazing. Lady. Yeah.
She really, really is.

Yeah.

And I wish I knew Ron
because every time I hear

people talk about he's extraordinary.
Yeah. Yeah.

The buddy.

Yeah.

No, I sounds like it, like
it was so awesome.

Is there anything else
you'd like to chat to me about?

Anything you think people should know?
Whether what you know

about pancreatic cancer
or how people can can help, people.

That might be a need.

They need social support organizations
like this one, for sure.

Yeah. Just being here today.
Yeah, it's a big help.

And participating and putting,

bids in on various items to raise money.

This is all the right thing to do.

Perfect. Well, guys.

Jack, Kate,
thank you so much for stopping by.

I really appreciate all you do.

Yeah. Pleasure meeting you.
Enjoy the rest.

And, maybe you put some money in
for the silent auction, which is what

you put your money in for the silent
auction over there yet or not?

Not yet. We will. Though.

You got your eye on anything yet?
Or do you get, you know. Okay.

I'm not a silent auction person. Okay?

So the the big money is raised
later in the.

Budget rate.

Radio event
and will certainly participate. Mac.

Sounds good to me. So.

All right,
guys, we'll see you. Thanks so much.

But yeah.

So this weather I it's funny, I got here
and it was like that was beautiful.

And then just, 15 minutes ago,
I was like.

I was like, yeah, you know what? No,
I don't see. It's like a get cloudy.

It's gonna be fine. I. You know,
I mean, oh, you know what?

What's up?

Yeah.

The line line's coming in, so it's
kind of it's going to pour lightning,

some wind,
a little worry about the items out there.

You know we're talking.
Yeah. Getting ready.

You know. But how are you doing?

I'm doing great. Good. Doing really. Good.
Good good good. Good.

I'm sorry. Yeah, it's all good.

Just, you know, just,
you know, every time you turn around,

there's something else going

on, and, and, you know,
you probably know about my family member.

What we lost, you know.

Yeah,
we had my wife's cousin, 46 years old.

She, had pancreatitis.

And it was the summer
about five years ago,

and she was going through the summer,
and my wife's like, you know what?

Something's not right.

And so they went back and pancreatic
cancer in less than a year, she was gone.

And we just had the wedding for her,
her daughter just, just last month,

down in Florida.

And so,

this is probably going back
about 4 or 5 months ago.

I met my best friend.
We grew up together.

I was his best man on his wedding
41 years ago.

Right now, he's a doctor.

He's a chief operating officer
for Nuance Medical here in Connecticut.

They are, he has pancreatic cancer.

Oh, my gosh.

So he's been through radiation and chemo
or chemo and radiation.

Now he's going to have an operation.

But, you know, he's, Iron man, you know?

Great.

Jane, they found a little
something on his pancreas,

and then all of a sudden, in three months,
it was huge.

And so pancreatic cancer is just.

It's unbelievable.

And, you know,
things happen where, you know,

you get little ideas that something
might be, but you never think much of it.

And then by the time you find it, it's,
it's a problem. Yeah.

So hopefully he found his in time.

But I just feel like many more people
are getting pancreatic cancer these days,

and we keep fighting.

But it's, We gotta we gotta do more.

Yeah, I do more.

My, my wife, stepmom last year

texted me, in March.

She said,
I want you to hear from me first.

I have pancreatic cancer. Stage three,
I think.

And I think, yeah,
I think it was two months later.

Two months.

That's it.

I think how old? Mid 70s, I think.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

So yeah, I mean, yoga teacher
organic food I mean healthy.

Yeah. No, it's low stress.

Unbelievable.

I mean, one of the healthiest people
I knew. Yeah. You know. Yeah.

Just a wonderful woman. Yeah.

You know, my friend being a doctor, he's

trying to explain to me about mutations
and how things can happen and whatnot.

And it's like, okay, you know, it's just,

I don't know, it's,

scary, scary stuff,
but you doing something like this

Ron Foley Foundation, you know, just,
you know, taking what happened to Barbara

and making it into this
unbelievable event, raises money and.

Yeah, you know, finding out what the what
the researchers are doing and hopefully,

you know, we're going to be able
to do something about this.

Yeah. And I was talking to Jack and Kate.

And not only is it

raising money for research, it's raising
money to help families that are suffering.

And that's huge.

When we,

Debbie Lafon, my wife's cousin,

she was the first recipient
of Ron's rescue.

And so, when that first came out,

my wife Tracy,
who works at channel three.

I know Tracy.

You know Tracy. Yeah, exactly.
Yeah. How are you doing?

You know. Great. Good, good, good. Oh.

So, you know, all of us in this business,
we all know each other.

And she, she had gotten to know Barbara,
somehow, probably through, you know,

probably had her in on the show
or something, but anyhow, they

supplied, Debbie and her

two daughters,
the ability to go to Disney World, and,

you know, they were there,
and I didn't want to say

it was maybe May,
and she was gone in October.

Wow. So.

Yeah, but they got to have that
one last special love thing.

So, so helping the family, it's important
because, you know,

it happens to a person, but it's the
what it does to the whole family.

Just. Yeah. It affects the whole family.
Yeah. Yeah I used way. Yeah.

Oh absolutely.

Oh was it.
How many years we've been doing this.

And we got to wrap
because I just heard some thunder.

Yeah I gotta we gotta get out of here.
I've been doing this now.

I probably a solid ten years.

Maybe. Maybe has been that long.

Yeah,
yeah. So, it along your own. Barbara.

Known Barbara for probably

going on and, eight,

eight, nine, ten years.

Yeah.

So. So, okay,
so about a while, so right on.

So quite wonderful.

Yeah.

One of the organization, and, we just,

you know, have to get, you know, we gotta
we gotta, gotta get rid of this stuff.

Yeah. And she keeps coming.

She just every year,
she keeps chugging along.

Oh, you know, every day
she's, you know, she's working.

But what you can do to to make people's
lives a little bit better.

And it's better for all the great people
that come to an event like this

and, you know, money
that is raised through other organizations

and the big walks,
those at the Pan can walk out into Rhode

Island last weekend,
you know, we, we we can't stop.

So is she. Involved with other,
organizers?

I'm sure she is a she.

I know she's involved
with another nonprofit out of Hartford,

but they're they do
they don't do cancer stuff.

But is you involved with other, cancer
research?

Pancreatic cancer research.

Nonprofit groups is a
she goes, I say, yeah, well,

I mean, as far as the, you know,
the different doctors and so forth. And.

Yeah, she okay. Yes. She is.

Yeah. So, just,

we're,
you know, we're continuing to fight.

You just don't know from day to day.
That's the whole thing.

When I see my friend,

one day find the next day she's got this,
you just don't know.

So you just don't know. Oh.

So is there anything you can tell us
that's going to be exciting?

Maybe different,
that you're doing for the first time

this year
that you haven't done in past years.

Anything like.

Well, you got it.

We got $100 raffle ticket, for a,

a bottle of bourbon,
that's worth like, $1,000.

We got a great necklace
for $2,200 from Monarch Jewelers.

We got some wonderful live auction items,
which is always great.

And, and then, speakers,
you know, hearing the stories.

Yeah.

Compelling stories
about what people have been through

and then hearing from the doctors about,

you know, what's happening and,
and what what we're doing to love it.

Get rid of the stress.

Of this awful thing.

It affects everybody.

It's just about anybody you talk to. Yeah.

So somewhere as a related. Yeah.

With but you know now just for me
it just keeps hitting too much you know.

So I need
we need to fight. Perfect. Keep fighting.

Yeah you fight Joe.

You get back to work. We're going
to. We're going to thank you.

All right. Great pleasure.
See you. Good. You're great.

You're awesome. Thanks so much.
All right, now let's pack up.

Get out of here with that. Joe,
we had to go.

All right, get under the table.

We'll see. Joe on.